I Samuel 1

Hannah had no childrenverses 1-2

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim- zophim – of mount Ephraim

and his name of Elkanah – son of Jeroham – Elihu – Tohu – Zuph

an Ephrathite

and he had two wives the name of one was Hannah

the name of the other Peninnah

and Peninnah had children

BUT Hannah had no children

Peninnah provoked Hannahverses 3-7

And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship

and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh

And the two sons of Eli – Hophni and Phinehas

the priests of the LORD – were there

And when the time was that Elkanah offered

he gave to Peninnah his wife

and to all her sons and her daughters – portions

BUT to Hannah he gave a worthy portion

FOR he LOVED Hannah

BUT the LORD had shut up her womb

And her adversary also provoked her sore

for to make her FRET

BECAUSE the LORD had shut up her womb

And as he did so year by year

when she went up to the house of the LORD

so she provoked her

THEREFORE she WEPT – and did NOT EAT

Elkanah asks Hannah why she was cryingverse 8

Then said Elkanah her husband to her

Hannah – why weep you? and why eat you not?

why is your heart GRIEVED?

Am not I better to you than ten sons?

Hannah gives oath regarding birth of childverses 9-11

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh

and after they had drunk

Now Eli the priest sat on a seat by a post of the

temple of the LORD

and she was in BITTERNESS of soul

and prayed to the LORD

and WEPT sore

And she vowed a vow

and said

O LORD of hosts – IF YOU will indeed l

look on the AFFLICTION of YOUR handmaid

and remember me

and not forget YOUR handmaid

BUT will give to YOUR handmaid a man child

THEN I will give him to the LORD

all the days of his life

and there shall no razor

come upon his head

Eli the priest thought Hannah was drunkverses 12-14

And it came to pass – as she continued praying before the LORD

that Eli marked her mouth

Now Hannah – she spoke in her heart – only her lips moved

BUT her voice was not heard

THEREFORE Eli thought she had been drunken

And Eli said to her

How long will you be drunken?

put away your wine from you

Hannah explains her sorrowful spiritverses 15-16

And Hannah answered

and said

No – my lord – I am a woman of a SORROWFUL heart

I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink

BUT have poured out my soul before the LORD

Count not your handmaid for a daughter of Belial

FOR out of the abundance of my COMPLAINT and GRIEF

have I spoken hitherto

Eli encourages Hannahverse 17

THEN Eli answered

and said

Go in peace – and the God of Israel grant you your petition

that you have asked of HIM

Hannah leaves encouragedverse 18

And she said

Let your handmaid find GRACE in your sight

So the woman went her way

and did eat and here countenance was no more SAD

Birth of Samuelverses 19-20

And they rose up in the morning early

and worshiped before the LORD

and returned – and came to their house to Ramah

and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife

and the LORD remembered her

Wherefore it came to pass

when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived

that she bare a son

and called his name Samuel

saying

Because I have asked him of the LORD

Hannah stays home to wean Samuelverses 21-22

And the man Elkanah – and all his house

went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice

and his vow

BUT Hannah went not up – for she said to her husband

I will not go up until the child be weaned

and then I will bring him

that he may appear before the LORD

and there ABIDE forever

Elkanah agrees with Hannah’s pledge of Samuelverse 23

And Elkanah her husband

said to her

Do what seems you good – tarry until you have weaned him

only the LORD establish HIS word

So the woman abode – and gave her son suck until she weaned him

Hannah brings Samuel to serve the LORD in templeverses 24-28

And when she had weaned him – she took him up with her

with three bullocks and one ephah of flour

and a bottle of wine

and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh

and the child was young

And they slew a bullock – and brought the child to Eli

and she said

O my lord – as your soul lives my lord

I am the woman that stood by you here

PRAYING to the LORD

For this child I PRAYED

and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of HIM

THEREFORE also I have lent him to the LORD

as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD

And he worshiped the LORD there

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah; but the LORD had shut up her womb. (157 “loved” [’ahab] means beloved, friend, endear, great affection, desire, breath after, or delight)

DEVOTION: Elkanah had greater affection toward Hannah than toward his other wife Peninnah. Peninnah had children and mocked Hannah to the point of deep sorrow on the part of Hannah. She didn’t like the fact that the LORD had shut her womb. She wanted to have children.

Remember that every woman in Israel wanted to have male children because they were waiting for the Messiah to come. They wanted to be the mother of the Messiah.

Children were considered a blessing even if they were not the Messiah. Hannah looked at Peninnah with envy. Her husband tried to encourage and comfort her but she would not accept the comfort. She was focused on the fact that she was not having children.

The LORD was teaching her patience but she wanted nothing to do with it. HE was also waiting for her to get to the point that if she had a child she would be willing to give the firstborn son to HIM. HE knew that her child would be a prophet in Israel.

When we want something really bad do we blame God for not giving it to us in our timing? Would we be just like Hannah who was not willing to wait for the LORD to act?

It seems that throughout the Word of God HE has made HIS people wait for HIS timing and many of them thought it should happen sooner. Our impatience with God is a sin. We have to confess it as a sin and ask HIM to forgive us and help us to be content with what we have at the present time. It is not an easy prayer but one we must practice on a regular basis. We can ask HIM for something we think HE would want us to have but then accept HIS timing.

CHALLENGE: When others seem to be getting what they want it is hard for us to wait for the LORD to give us what we want. Yet, that is HIS plan for us.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 11 And she vowed a vow, and said, o LORD of hosts, if YOU will indeed look on the affliction of YOUR handmaid, and remember me, and not forget YOUR handmaid, but will give to YOUR handmaid a man child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come on his head. (6040 “affliction” [‘oniy] means trouble, poverty, misery, oppressed situation, a cause of great suffering and distress, or frustration)

DEVOTIION: What is the significance of never cutting the hair of the child she was going to have in the future if the LORD gave her a son? A few days ago we covered the Biblical account of Samson. He was to be a Nazarite. This was to have a special relationship to the LORD from birth. His strength was in his hair.
Now we have Hannah promising the LORD that her son would not have his hair cut. She was asking the LORD to give her a child and he would be dedicated to HIM for life.

She was willing to give her son to the LORD as the firstborn without redeeming him with money which could be done for a firstborn child. She was going to take him to the Temple to serve the LORD for the rest of his life.

Being desperate for a child was what this prayer showed. She meant every word of what she promised to the LORD. We need to remember that if we promise the LORD something, we need to keep our vow to HIM. HE wants us to be faithful to our word as HE is faithful to HIS word to us.

Never pray for something with a promise without expecting to keep the promise. Never be dishonest with God. It has been said that there are many promises made in foxholes during war that have never been kept. These promises were probably not made by individuals who were true followers of the LORD. If they were true followers of the LORD they would keep their promises.

Don’t pray for healing with a promise and not keep it. Don’t pray for good grades with a promise and not keep it. When we tell the LORD, we are going to do it we need to do it.

Sometimes the LORD wants us to promise even when it hurts for us to keep this promise. Hannah said such a prayer and you know she would like to keep her son with her for the rest of his life. It was a great sacrifice because she didn’t know if she would have any more children after the first one.

CHALLENGE: It was a great desire of every woman to have a male child thinking he could be a Savior. Today we need to realize that we need to introduce each of children to the Savior.

: 15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. (7188 “sorrowful” [qashach] means oppressed, unhappy, perplexing, to be hardened or unfeeling.)

DEVOTION: In our society children are not considered a gift from God by many. Our nation ends pregnancy on a regular basis. We are going to have trouble supporting the senior citizens of our nation because we don’t have enough children to pay into the system. Many nations are struggling because they have restricted the birth rate. There are some nations that have not restricted the birth rate and therefore have many children to occupy their nation and the rest of the world.

Children are a gift from God. The LORD has the ability to open or close a womb. Hannah realized this fact and asked the LORD for a child. She was being harassed by the second wife of Elkanah.

While she was praying for a son, the priest, Eli thought she was drunk. He judged her unworthy of being in the house of the LORD.

She explained that she was unhappy not having a child. He understood and confirmed that he would like the LORD to answer her request. She left the temple encouraged. She began to eat again. She was not longer sad. After they were done giving their sacrifices to the LORD they went home. While there Hannah and her husband had relations and the LORD opened her womb. She had a male child. His name was Samuel.

One of the promises that Hannah made while she was praying was that she would raise her male child to be a Nazarite. She promised to not let a razor come to his hair. The second promise was that he would be given to the LORD to serve HIM in the temple. He was her firstborn son.

Little unknown fact was that her husband had to agree to her promise to the LORD. If he didn’t want it to happen, it would not happen. He had the final say concerning his wife and her relationship with the LORD.

Can we say that we go before God with such a heart when we want something so much that it hurts? God doesn’t always say yes, but HE wants us to come before HIM with all our heart and empty it to HIM. HE wants us to be honest with HIM. HE is there to help us in our painful times. HE does answer prayer. Remember that when we promise the LORD something in our prayers, we need to keep our promise. Hannah did!!!

Bring your heavy burdens to the LORD. Realize that HE is the one who is to answer our needs. If HE knows our heart and HE does,

CHALLENGE: HE wants to give us the desires of our heart as long as they bring glory to HIS name. Samuel brought glory to HIS name. Will our request bring glory to the LORD???)

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 22 But Hannah went not u, for she said to her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide forever. (3427 “abide” [yashab] means to dwell, remain sitting, to continue in a place, position, or situation, be settled, or stay)

DEVOTION: Samuel was born. Hannah wanted to keep him home until he was weaned. She wanted to have time with her firstborn son before she took him to the Tabernacle to give him to the LORD as she had promised.

She was going to keep her promise but it was going to be after she had spent about six years with their son. Then he was going to appear before the LORD and remain their forever.

It was a great sacrifice for her to give up her son but that is what the LORD laid on her heart when she prayed and she was going to do it no matter how much it hurt.

The LORD had a plan for the life of Samuel. We will continue to read how the LORD used Samuel as a prophet in Israel for his entire life. It is a great account of what happened in this part of the history of Israel.

Remember the time period of the judges was a time period when everyone did what was right in their own eyes and not in the eyes of the LORD. So the LORD called this young man to change Israel for the better because he was willing to be obedient to the LORD in spite of what was happening around him in Israel.

We need to be faithful to the LORD in our time period here on this earth no matter what is happening around us.

CHALLENGE: Our faithfulness will make a difference in the eyes of the LORD.

: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD, as long as he lives, he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there. (7592 “lent” [sha’al] means to set apart something for sacred uses with solemn rites, to be given on request, have what he asks, or grant)

DEVOTION: Hannah had prayed to the LORD for a male child. If she was granted her request for a firstborn son, she would give him to the LORD to serve in the Temple with the priests.

The LORD granted her request. She was keeping her end of the promise. She kept Samuel home until he was weaned and then took him to the Temple to serve the LORD. This was not an easy thing for her to do but she had promised him to the LORD and she was going to keep her promise.

Because she kept her promise the LORD blessed her with more children. HE granted her request because HE knew her heart and knew that she would keep her promise to HIM. Samuel was going to be a great prophet of the LORD.

We need to make sure that if we promise God something, we keep our promise to HIM. If we do, HE will honor us with more blessings in the future. HE wants us to be obedient servants and ones that don’t make empty promises to HIM for blessing and then not keep our word to HIM.

If we have promised something to God in the past and not kept our promise, we need to ask for forgiveness and honor our word to the LORD. Don’t make promises you don’t intent to keep.

CHALLENGE: When you want something from the LORD and make a promise if HE gives it to you. Keep your promise. More blessing with come to those who keep their word to the LORD.

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Hannah fastedverses 7, 8

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Elkanah offered yearly sacrificeverses 3, 21

Hannah offered sacrifice to LORDverse 24

Hannah lent Samuel to the LORDverse 28

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Hannah prayedverses 10-16

Complaint

Grief

Vowed a vow

Prayed for a male child

Promised to give him to LORD

Promised no razor come to head

Spoke from heart but lips didn’t move

Woman of sorrowful spirit

Poured out her soul to LORD

Hannah asked of the LORD = grantedverse 20

Hannah honors LORD for answered prayerverses 26-27

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Elkanah worshiped the LORD yearly in Shilohverses 3, 19, 21, 28

Elkanah offered sacrifice to LORDverse 3

Shiloh – place of worshipverse 3

Priests of the LORDverse 3

Eli

Sons of Eli –Hophni and Phinehas

House of the LORDverse 7

Eli – the priestverses 9, 12-17

Looked at Hannah’s mouth

Thought Hannah was drunk

Told Hannah God would grant request

Samuel brought to

Temple of the LORDverse 9

Hannah worshippedverse 19

Slew a bullockverse 25

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 3, 5-7, 9-12, 15, 19-24, 26-28

LORD of Hostsverses 3, 11

LORD shut Hannah’s wombverses 5, 6

Priests of the LORDverse 3

House of the LORDverse 7

LORD shuts up wombverse 5

God – Elohim (Creator)verse 17

God of Israelverse 17

LORD remembered Hannahverse 19

LORD establish HIS wordverse 23

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Two wivesverse 2

Adversaryverse 6

Provoked to cause fretverses 6, 7

Bitternessverse 10

Drunkenverses 13-15

Daughter of Belialverse 16

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Worshipverses 3, 19

Love wifeverse 5

Vowed a vowverse 11

Afflictionverse 11

Remembered by the LORDverses 11, 19

Gift of son to the LORD promisedverse 11

Sorrowful spiritverse 15

Pour out soul before the LORDverse 15

Answered prayerverses 17, 19, 20, 26

Petitionverse 17

Graceverse 18

Countenance no more sadverse 18

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Elkanahverses 1-23

Man of Ramathaim-zophim

Ephraim

Son of Jeroham

Son of Elihu

Son of Tohu

Son of Zuph

Had two wives

Hannah

Peninnah

Came up yearly to worship

Loved Hannah – gave worthy portion

Knew Hannah and had child

Gave Hannah permission to stay home

Peninnah – had childrenverses 2, 6, 7

Adversary to Hannah

Provoked Hannah

Hannah had no childrenverses 2-24

Worship in Shiloh

LORD shut up Hannah’s womb

House of the LORD

Shiloh

No razor to son

Birth of Samuel

Samuel weaned by Hannah

Samuel taken to Templeverses 24, 28

Lent to the LORD

Lent Samuel to the LORDverse 28

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

1:19–20. Shortly after Hannah’s return to Ramah, she conceived and in due course bore a son whom she named … Samuel. Though the name technically means “his name is God” or something similar, Hannah may, by assonance, have understood the name to mean “asked of God.” She had “asked” (šā’al) God for a son, and He had “heard” (šāma‘) her. “Samuel,” then, would be associated with šămūa‘ ’ēl, “heard of God,” because she had asked the Lord for him. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 433). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

1:20 Samuel. The name lit. meant “name of God,” but sounded like “heard by God.” For Hannah the assonance was most important, because God had heard her prayer. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Sa 1:20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

1:9–20 Hannah’s prayer and Samuel’s birth. In desperation, Hannah was driven to earnest prayer for a son. Her prayer was reinforced by a solemn vow (11). The God-given son would be consecrated to God from birth to death. Nu. 6 describes how Israelites could voluntarily consecrate themselves to God’s service for a fixed period of time. Such people were known as Nazirites, and they vowed never to cut their hair, a visible symbol of their dedication to God. In the same way, Hannah promised that her son would be a permanent Nazirite.

Eli, the chief priest at Shiloh, was persuaded to give Hannah’s prayer his blessing and support (17). His initial misunderstanding (13–14) is perhaps a first hint to the reader that Eli was gradually losing his competence as Israel’s leader.

The sequel was the birth of Samuel. Vs 19–20 bring together the human and divine agency. In one sense Samuel’s birth was perfectly natural, but the removal of Hannah’s barrenness was entirely God’s doing. Hannah herself was in no doubt that God had responded to her prayer. The name Samuel does not literally mean ‘asked’; in Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase ‘heard by God’. Several OT explanations of names draw out the implications of other, different words that resembled the names. The name Saul means ‘asked’, and the biblical author may be telling us at the outset that Samuel was a man sent by God in a way that Saul would not be. (Payne, D. F. (1994). 1 and 2 Samuel. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., pp. 298–299). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press)

1:20, 21 The birth of Hannah’s son is part of a long history of godly women and men praying for a child as God’s gift (Gen. 12:1–3). When Hannah gave birth, she named her son Samuel, which means “Name of God.” She explained that she gave her son this name because I have asked for him from the Lord. There is a play on words in this verse, for “Samuel” sounds like the Hebrew words, “Asked from God” (v. 28). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 347). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)

20 Wherefore it came to pass, †when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, *that she bare a son, and called his name ║Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.

So the sense is, When the usual time from the conception to the birth was past, she brought forth her son. Heb. in or after the revolution, or expiration of some days, Hannah conceived, and in due time bare a son. So the meaning is, That although her husband knew her conjugally at his return, and God was mindful of her, and intended in his time to give her his blessing, yet she did not conceive at first, but after some days or time afterwards. And called, i.e. she called, not doubting of her husband’s consent to the name. The names of children were given to them sometimes by the fathers, and sometimes by the mothers. See Gen. 4:1, 26; 5:29; 21:3; 19:37, 38, &c. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, p. 515). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)

Ver. 20. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about, after Hannah had conceived, &c.] Or, at the revolutions of days; at the end of a year, of a complete year, as Ben Melech, from their return from Shiloh; for it might be some time after their return that she conceived; or rather the sense is, that at nine months’ end, the usual time of a woman’s going with-child from her conception, which is the date here given: that she bare a son; was brought-to-bed of a son: and called his name Samuel, saying, because I have asked him of the Lord; one would think rather his name should have been Saul, for the reason given; but, as Ben Gersom observes, givers of names are not always grammatically strict and critical in them, or in the etymology of them, as in the names of Reuben and Noah, in which he instances; and this may be the rather overlooked in a woman, than in a man of learning. According to Kimchi, it is as if it was Saul-meel; that is, asked of God, and by contraction Samuel; but Hillerus gives a better account of this name, and takes it to be composed of Saul-mul-el, asked before God, in the sight of God, before the ark of God. This name Hannah gave her son (for sometimes the father, and sometimes the mother, gave the name) in memory of the wonderful favour and goodness of God in granting her request; and to impress her own mind with a sense of the obligation she lay under, to perform her vow, and to engage her son the more readily to give up himself to the service of God, when he reflected on his name, and the reason of it. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 415). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

Exodus 11
The final plague on Egypt is a Passover sacrifice.

INSIGHT

God’s dealings with Pharaoh reveal His longsuffering attitude toward such rebellion. The plagues start out fairly minor, thus giving Pharaoh a chance to change his mind before utter calamity strikes. With each successive act of rebellion, the subsequent plague intensifies. Beginning with the unpleasant but fairly harmless plague of frogs, the process ends with the death of the firstborn of every household in Egypt. At any point, had Pharaoh repented, the plagues would have been stopped.

Analyze your own life. If you’ve entered into conflict with God, abandon the fight before it escalates. (Quiet Walk)

OUR LORD’S GLORY ON EARTH
There is no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2
Think about the glory of our Lord that we are told about when He was on earth: “There is no beauty that we should desire him…a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:2-3). People would look at Him and say, “Who is this fellow?” “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mark 6:3). He had laid aside the glory; He had not laid aside anything of His essential being or person or His essential deity. But neither had He held on to it. He had not clutched at the manifestation of His glory. He had laid that aside as one would a cloak and had come in the likeness of man.
Indeed, I must go further than this, because this is the wonder of it all. He decided that His glory should be veiled by flesh. Think of it like this: The glory is there still shining in all its power, but a veil of flesh has come over it so that mankind cannot see it.
Take an Old Testament illustration. In the wilderness Moses went onto the Mount and spoke with God, and when he came down his face was shining. The people saw the glory, and it was so bright that he had to put a veil over his face; the glory was still there, but it was hidden from them. Something like that happened to our Lord.
Yes, but He not only came as man, nor is it only true to say that His glory was veiled by flesh. It is not true to say simply that the eternal Son of God was made flesh. We are told that he was made “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3). Indeed, He not only came into this world as a man—He took on Him “the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). It would have been a wonderful and astounding thing if this eternal King and Prince of glory had come on earth and lived in a palace as a human king with all the pomp and glory of an earthly kingship. But that is not what He did at all! He was born as a babe in very poor circumstances.
A Thought to Ponder: He had laid aside the glory.
(From Saved in Eternity, pp. 72-73, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Harriet Tubman was one of the great American heroes of the nineteenth century. Showing remarkable courage, she guided more than three hundred fellow slaves to freedom after she first escaped slavery by crossing into free territory in the United States North. Not content to simply enjoy her own freedom, she ventured back into slave states nineteen times to lead friends, family, and strangers to freedom, sometimes guiding people on foot all the way to Canada.

What drove Tubman to such brave action? A woman of deep faith, she at one time said this: “I always told God, I’m going to hold steady on you, and you’ve got to see me through.” Her dependence on God’s guidance as she led people out of slavery was a hallmark of her success.

What does it mean to “hold steady” to God? A verse in the prophecy of Isaiah might help us see that in reality it’s He who holds us as we grab His hand. Isaiah quotes God, who said, “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (41:13).

Harriet held tightly to God, and He saw her through. What challenges are you facing? Hold steady to God as He “takes hold” of your hand and your life. “Do not fear.” He will help you. By Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread)

The Worldwide Flood
“And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11)
Those Christians who accept the concept of the “geological ages” commonly have to explain away the great deluge by assuming it was not really a global flood. They realize that any flood that would rise until “all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered” and in which “every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground” (Genesis 7:19, 23) would undoubtedly eliminate any evidence of the supposed geological ages. Therefore, they have suggested modifying the Bible record to mean an overflow of the Euphrates River or some such phenomenon that would destroy just the peoples of the “known” world at that time.
There are numerous problems with this “local flood” notion, however. Appendix 6 of The Henry Morris Study Bible, for instance, lists 100 reasons why the biblical Flood must be understood as worldwide and cataclysmic.
But probably the best argument is that such an argument makes God out to be a liar! God promised Noah that this kind of flood would never be sent on the earth again. There have been innumerable river floods, tsunamis, torrential regional rains, etc., in the more than four millennia since Noah’s day. If God’s promise referred only to some such flood as one of these, then He has not kept His Word!
But God does not lie, and He has kept His promise. There has never been another such Flood. “He that believeth not God hath made him a liar” (1 John 5:10). Theistic evolutionists, progressive creationists, and all others who believe the geological ages instead of God’s Word should, it would seem, seriously rethink their position.

(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

Nature documentaries like the BBC’s “Planet Earth,” “Blue Planet,” and most recently, “A Perfect Planet,” are amazing masterpieces of modern videography, displaying creation in detail and majesty. Every creature soaring through the sky, or streaking through the deep, or thundering over the savannah exhibits power, beauty, and unmistakable purpose. David Attenborough’s grandfatherly narration and Hans Zimmer’s moving musical scores only add to the childlike awe these films induce.

All of which makes it even more odd when Attenborough declares that all of this glory lacks purpose, or that it arose by chance and natural selection, and that none of it bears witness to any meaning or Mind beyond itself.

A recent article on atheism, also from across the pond, reminded me of this contradiction. In The Guardian, Harriet Sherwood described a new project from the University of Kent that seeks to discover whether disbelieving in God makes people less spiritual overall. According to the project’s authors, atheism “doesn’t necessarily entail unbelief in other supernatural phenomena.” Nor do unbelievers lack for a sense of purpose, despite “lacking anything to ascribe ultimate meaning to [in] the universe.”

In the article, Sherwood profiled several unbelievers, from an agnostic to a “free thinker” to Positivist pastor and Satanic priest (who makes it clear he doesn’t believe in a literal Satan). All of them insist that life can be deeply meaningful and even moral without God.

“We can determine for ourselves what is meaningful,” said one. “The meaning of life,” suggested one woman, “is to make it the best experience you can, to spread love to those around you.” “Beauty and tradition are at the core of my philosophy,” said another. One self-identified atheistic Jew explained, “Being part of a religious community offers music, spirituality and relationships…it reminds me I’m on a journey to understand myself better and motivates me to help others.”

Hearing outspoken unbelievers proclaim that meaning and morality aren’t accidents is about as jarring as hearing David Attenborough proclaim that the world’s most amazing creatures are accidents. There is an inability of atheists to let go of the transcendent.

In his book, “Miracles,” C.S. Lewis wrote about the passionate moral activism of a famous atheist of his day, H.G. Wells. Moments after men like Wells admit that good and evil are illusions, Lewis said, “you will find them exhorting us to work for posterity, to educate, to revolutionize, liquidate, live and die for the good of the human race.”

But how do unbelievers, “naturalists” as Lewis calls them, account for such ideas? Certainly, nature is no help. If thoughts of meaning and morality find their origin in arrangements of atoms in our brains, then they can no more be called “true,” Lewis observed, than can “a vomit or a yawn.”

Lewis concludes that when Wells and other unbelievers say we “ought to make a better world,” they have simply forgotten about their atheism. “That is their glory,” he concludes. “Holding a philosophy which excludes humanity, they yet remain human. At the sight of injustice, they throw all their Naturalism to the winds and speak like men and like men of genius. They know far better than they think they know.”

I’d love to ask the people behind masterpieces like “Planet Earth,” or the unbelievers profiled in The Guardian, about this contradiction. Years ago, I had a similar conversation with a woman I was seated beside on an airplane. She had very strong moral opinions about all kinds of things, but scoffed at me, “How can you believe in God!” I gently asked her why she believed in right and wrong. It was a fun conversation, and it made me realize that it is possible to affirm the human gut-level intuition about beauty and wonder and morality, while questioning where all of those things come from.

And if you haven’t read Lewis’ masterful book “Miracles,” add it to the list. If it’s been a while, it’s worth revisiting. Fair warning: unbelievers should beware. As Lewis himself said, “A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.” (Break Point)

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